Choosing an estate agent question

luiza8

We are strongly thinking of selling our property to upsize. Had a number of valuations from local estate agents.

One of them said that they had lots of people registered with them, wanting to buy a property like ours (specific layout/design). I’m just wondering if this is important as most (or a very high percentage of people) will check Rightmove. Yes it would be great if we could sell the property before it even hits RM, however we aren’t in a rush as haven’t seen any properties we like. We can live with relatives if ours sells before we see a property.

It’s the first time we have sold a property so unsure how important it is that the estate agent has many people registered with them for our type of property.

One would assume that if estate agent A has lots registered wanting our house type, then estate agent B and C and D should have a similar amount as people would register with multiple.

Is it not more important to negotiate on the fee (they are all saying 1% + VAT). If we could knock that down to 0.7% then we would be saving £600.

eddddy

You should consider which estate agent you think will be best at selling your property - both pre-offer and post-offer. In my experience, some estate agents can be much better than others.

It's helpful to treat their valuation visits as interviews - you want to 'grill' them to help you choose which one to give your business to.

They'll all put a positive spin on what they say - so don't literally believe everything they say (e.g. They're all likely to make stuff up, like "we've got lots of people registered wanting a property like yours"). But it should still be useful.



And it's extremely important to read each agent's contract before deciding. Look at all fees chargeable in all circumstances - for example, if you want to change agents, or if you change your mind about selling.

Also, obviously the fee for selling is important, and the minimum contract period. These are often negotiable.